Supreme Court Won’t Hear Arguments Title 42 Case As Planned

WASHINGTON — The U.S. The Supreme Court has announced that it will not hear arguments on March 1 in a case involving a Trump-era immigration policy that has been used millions of times to quickly turn away migrants at the border over the last three years.

The justices removed the case involving Title 42, which justified the quick deportation of migrants on public health grounds, from their calendar on Thursday. The case has not been dismissed, according to a court spokeswoman. The court’s action follows the Biden administration’s legal filing stating that the case will soon be moot.

Government lawyers cited President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that the COVID-19 pandemic emergency declarations will expire on May 11. According to the administration, the end of the public health emergency also means the end of Title 42.

Supreme Court Justices Were Deeply Divided

Republicans and some Democrats in border states have criticized Biden’s efforts to repeal Title 42. They claim that the U.S. is unprepared for the expected influx of people crossing the border with Mexico once the policy is lifted.

In December, the Supreme Court justices were deeply divided when they agreed to keep the policy despite a judge’s order and set the case for argument. Five justices agreed, while four others — three liberals and conservative Neil Gorsuch — disagreed. The case concerned states’ ability to intervene in a policy-related lawsuit.

The policy dates back to March 2020, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director issued an order limiting migration at the country’s borders with Mexico and Canada, citing the need to reduce the virus’ spread. According to the supreme court to order, the facilities where migrants are detained are not intended to quarantine people or allow for social distancing.

Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act provided the authority for that order, which grants federal health officials extraordinary powers to limit infectious disease transmission during a pandemic.

Under Title 42, officials have expelled 2.5 million asylum seekers from the United States.

SOURCE – (AP)